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Order Your Steps … 6 years in

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It was very interesting looking back on my post from the First year(s) in Review of Order Your Steps!  We are now going into our 7th year and it’s been an AMAZING journey, thus far.

Here are a few highlights:

  • YES! The job is still VERY labor intensive !  😦

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I still LOVE my job!

37143449 - 'love what you do and do what you love' notes pasted on blackboard.

I’ve seen 100+ clients….

  • My most recent testimonial…

When I told my husband that I would be hiring a Professional Organizer to help me organize our home office, he thought it would be a total waste of money. I, however, was desperate.  I couldn’t walk into my office without climbing over heaps of paper and other random items.  The documents had been piling up for almost ten years and the office space was totally unusable.  READ MORE:  A Client’s Perspective II

  • I’ve written over 300 WordPress blog posts, over 900 followers, including Facebook and over 20,00 hits.
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One of my first WP post and the most LIKED!

  • The Lord has opened doors that may not have been opened otherwise.  Selling was not in the plan?? But working for ShelfGenie was truly a Blessing!  I resigned from ShelfGenie last June.  Unfortunately, it had become my “safety net”!?!? However, Arline, the former franchise owner and I are still the best of friends!  The Lord always has a purpose, although one that we may least expect.

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  • The Lord continues to provide me with a steady flow of OYS clients… and that one client that was my most difficult back in 2012 taught me the most about being about business!  The experience will always serve as a LESSON LEARNED!

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I am sooo excited about what my SEVENTH year will hold.  I am in awe of what God has done.  He continues to allow me to touch the lives of the people that He has ordained.  This is about SO much more than money, it about ministry!

Stay Tuned… There is A WHOLE LOT more to come!

 

Holidays are Coming! …. Are you Ready?

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The Fall season has FALLEN32962411_s and there are less than two (2) months left in the year!  BUT DON’T PANIC!   Believe or not, you still have time to prepare, plan and minimize some of the stress that may be associated with the hustle and bustle of the Holidays.

Let’s just look at a few thought starters….

  • Start NOW! – Although it appears that you have a while yet…. you really DON’T.  Start planning now!  Get out the pencil and paper and jot down 2-3 “Must Do’s.  Maybe it’s clean the pantry, prepare the menu for Thanksgiving dinner or simply pull out the decorations to get you in the mood.
  • Establish a few LOOSE guidelines, objectives and timelines.  Remember this is NOT to make the preparation more stressful, so keep it loose, i.e. “I want to have my menu and grocery list finalized at least 2 weeks prior to Thanksgiving”.  Put the date reminder on your calendar.
  • Put a few items in the plan for Christmas Prep also.  Maybe you want to get the spare rooms ready.  Change the linen, make room in the closets, if necessary or  set the guest towels aside.
  • Give the kids the sale papers!  Let them start to prepare their wish list, so that they have the incentive to go through their old toys early (old clothes too, Moms) and donate to someone less privileged.

As I say often, set aside 20 minutes per task ONLY.

  1. Identify the task
  2. Set the timer
  3. Do as much of the task as you can
  4. When the timer goes off, Stop! and go on to something else
  5. DON’T TRY TO EAT THE ELEPHANT!

Try to Pace Yourself, Starting Now!

Don’t wait or you will be caught in the Holiday Whirlwind before you know it!

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Are You Ready !

Please let us know if this helps!

Organizing the Garage

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On Memorial Day, I decided to organize my garage… against my husband’s better judgment.  :-/  .  Although I was unable to really get rid of a LOT of stuff, my husband did agree to throw some of his things away, especially since for the most part, he had forgotten he had some of it???  In spite of my boundaries, I was able to establish some semblance of Order!

Please let me know what you think….

“March Toward Simplicity” Challenge

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Order Your Steps, a member of Faithful Organizers, is offering the March Toward Simplicity Challenge through our Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/Order Your Steps.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FAITHFUL ORGANIZERS, AN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF CHRISTIAN PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZERS, TO LAUNCH IT’S 1ST ANNUAL MARCH INTO SIMPLICITY CHALLENGE!

TORRENCE, CA (February 12, 2016) – Faithful Organizers, an international group of Christian Professional Organizers, is launching their first organizing challenge to the public. March Toward Simplicity will run the entire month of March with the exception of Sundays.  Each day, participants will be challenged to complete a small organizing task to help simplify their lives. Members of the organization are encouraging their clients and affiliates to participate in the challenge as way to motivate them to address their clutter in small chunks and to maintain the systems they have in place.

 “This is a tremendous opportunity for people to be part of something big,” says Jean Furuya, Faithful Organizers executive director.  “Getting organized ranks 4th in New Year’s resolutions.  This challenge will motivate participants to do a quick, daily project to see how simple it is to accomplish even the smallest of tasks. We are addressing several different aspects of organization including time management, productivity and household clutter.   It is our hope that the feeling of success will continue beyond the challenge to where organizing becomes a daily activity.”

Plan 30 minutes for each task and set your timer!!

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You can also access the daily challenges through a link on the Faithful Organizers website: http://www.faithfulorganizers.com and om their Facebook page: Facebook.com/Faithful Organizers. 

A Tale of Re-Gifting

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Sun sculpture at Minn. Inst. of Arts

Aunt Susie’s house is always immaculate, but she seems to always give me the weirdest gifts.  Last year, she gave me a bright yellow scrulpture of the sun.  I am not sure why, I guess she liked it and thought that I would too. Of course, I didn’t want to hurt her feelings.  Aunt Susie visits me once every three (3) years and I must set it out so that she can see it…. Need I say more????  Consider this, “Aunt Susie, I loved the bright yellow scrulpture of the sun, so much that I gifted it to the children’s museum and it’s on display.  Next time you visit we must go see it.  (I am not suggesting that we lie … now we simply have to find a museum to take it!  :-D)

I am not suggesting that we hurt anyone’s feelings, but as a professional organizer, I go into so many homes that have really nice gifts that they were given that they just can’t give away.  The clients has had “it” for so many years, that he person may have even forgotten that they gave it to them.  The holidays are here and here are just a few questions that we should ask ourselves.

  • Where are my Christmas gifts from last year?  or better yet…
  • Who were my gifts from last year?
  • How about the year before?  Do I remember?

If the gift(s) was /were memorable, it should been wore, at least once… or on display for everyone to see.  Do we know where the gifts are or are they still in the box somewhere?  I know that we don’t always get the gifts that we want or like, but if we continue to accummulate them and simply store them away, eventually even the person that gifted it to us may notice…  or maybe not?

Now I have another question…  Do our children remember what they got for Christmas last year or the year before?  That’s a whole different post of its own!!!  LOL !!! 😀

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The Secret of Re-Gifting Toys

“Creating a Living Space” – Step 2.5 – Purging and Organizing

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Here is the latest episode of our “This is How we Do It’ video series, entitled “Creating a Living Space”.

As you will see, we are turning the bar area into her dresser/vanity.  Therefore, we will be looking for organizers similar to these for her makeup and jewelry.

Google search

Google search

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Container Store

Please Watch & Enjoy!

… and let us know what you think.

The Husbands Are Just Not Buying It!

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19636668_sSince the beginning of the year, I have received calls from potential clients that were looking for professional organizing assistance.  I truly understand what it takes for a woman (primarily) to decide that she just can not do it on her own.  The clutter and disorder has become overwhelming. Unfortunately, once we have had a discussion, they have to pass it by their husbands and the husbands are just not buying it!  

It is very difficult to explain that organizing is not simply cleaning.  So typically, the husbands feel that the wives should be able to just clean up the mess and be done with it.  But unfortunately, it is just not that easy.  As we shared in my post, The Pyschology of Clutter, —clutter can affect our relationships, our health, and our ability to enjoy life. Clutter can also create a sense of hopelessness, and can even contribute to depression and other mood disorders*.  In all fairness, some women don’t realize the impact that clutter and disorder has on our lives either.

May I suggest to men & women alike, please allow us the opportunity to come into the home and discuss professional organizing and the services that we provide. Our initial assessment is FREE!  But, believe it or not, it is a LOT more than just about the money$$$.  It is about peace, order and well-being in the home.  I truly believe that you will not only be able to see the difference, but you will be able to FEEL the difference.  The results will be well worth the investment!

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*http://healing.answers.com/emotional-health/getting-organized-for-optimal-health

The Ramblings of a Professional Organizer ….

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Garfield“I’m too busy to get organized!”  REALLY?!?!? ……That’s makes absolutely NO sense!  OK, I need to calm down… BUT, people just don’t understand that if we would take the time to get organized and put some semblance of Order into our lives, then we would have more time to enjoy what’s really important in life!

Let me explain… It is my true belief that disorder & clutter has a psychological effect on our productivity, stress level and overall state of mind.  As we enter another new year, things are hectic (as usual) and sort of out of control (again!).  Therefore, some of my clients are simply TOO BUSY for our organizing sessions and have postponed, in some cases, until the Spring …. which is kinda ok, IF we resume in Spring.  It is so frustrating for me, because I have seen their spaces and I know that if we could just get to Ordered Chaos, their lives would be so much better.

We must ask the questions, Are we just TOO busy to take a moment to breathe, Too busy to spend quality time with the ones we love or Is everyone on the run all the time?? Ultimately, life is too short and time is too precious to let it pass us by.  All I am asking is that we come out of the forest and see the trees …

For us to say that we are TOO busy to organize, is an oxymoron.  “What will it truly take to get our house in Order?”  Don’t try to eat the elephant, we can only take one small bite at a time…. the papers on the dining room table, our home office with files stacked high, the kids’ closet, the daily morning routine, family mealtime after work, or even finding quiet time (what’s that?!?!?)

Well, my moment of frustration has passed.  It means so much to me to help you to get there(?), whereever your Order is. It’s so logical to me.  I see it so clearly in my mind’s eye.  But I know that it is not an easy task.  It is extremely difficult to convey the concept of Divine Order to those that are in chaos.  But I will NOT give up!  I will continue to chip away at the clutter and disorder, one life at a time.  It is just that important to me. It is my mission, it is my calling.  So, March, April, and even May will get here soon enough….and hopefully, by then, at the very least, we will be able to see the trees!

Organizing Project Complete!

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This project was to organize an entire home, from garage & family room to the upstairs bedrooms.  I met my client at a vending event that I attended to share info about ShelfGenie and Order Your Steps.  She arrived just when the event was beginning to shut down.  She passed by our booth and she said that she really needed to get her home organized.  However, she simply took the info and said that she would call me.  Arline, ShelfGenie franchise owner, said “Did you get her phone number?”  Please understand that God always Orders Your Steps…. I kinda chased her down and got her phone number.  AMAZING!!   A few weeks later, I did her FREE in-home assessment and the rest is history!   😀

She’s been truly AWESOME!  She’s been very patient with me and has worked diligently throughout the entire organizing process. However, at times, it was simply overwhelming for her, but she stuck with it.  Although, there were times that she just couldn’t get her homework done, she was always ready to work when I showed up.

Once motivated, she began doing other improvements to her home, i.e. painting, deck refinishing and replacing patio doors… I mean BIG stuff.  She is living proof that once you start to establish more organization in your home, it promotes an Order to your life were also times that we had an opportunity to discuss her work life…It is all about Order!!

HOORAY!  We have finished the bulk of our project, and now we will need to do some fine tuning to a few areas of her home. We will establish a maintenance program that will enable her to continue what we have started.  Our official project wrap-up was last Friday. It felt like we were closing a major chapter of her life, which I guess we have!  I appreciate how the Lord has allowed me to minister to her during this last few months.  Moving forward, I will check in with her by phone or preferrably a pop-up visit every other week or so.  In addition, we will have a two-hour organizing session once a month and then we’ll just see what happening from here!   😀

Here are a few rooms that we did… Take a Look!!